Van Gogh was commercially unsuccessful during his lifetime, and he was considered a madman and a failure. As he became famous only after his suicide, he came to be seen as a misunderstood genius in the public imagination.
Van Gogh's art became astoundingly popular after his death, especially in the late 20th century, when his work sold for record-breaking sums at auctions around the world and was featured in blockbuster touring exhibitions.
Many theories exist as to why van Gogh's works weren't appreciated while he was alive, namely that he was ahead of his time, unsociable, mentally troubled and uninterested in marketing himself – the story of many traditional artists. van Gogh himself said, “I can't change the fact that my paintings don't sell.
Despite Vincent van Gogh's fame today, he never achieved professional success during his lifetime. He sold only one painting while alive, seven months prior to his death, for a mere 400 francs.
The exact spot where Vincent van Gogh was painting just a few hours before he shot himself has been found. The picture, Tree Roots, was identified as his last work a few years ago.
Van Gogh often traded work with other artists – in his younger years, often in exchange for some food or drawing and painting supplies. In this sense, Vincent actually 'sold' quite a lot of work during his lifetime. Vincent van Gogh, 'The Red Vineyard', 1888.
In the final two years of his life, Vincent had gained recognition amongst the avant-garde and his work had been displayed in exhibitions in Paris and Brussels.
5) Vincent Van Gogh:
By only selling one painting in his life, he was dubbed a failure – and after years of suffering with mental illness and failed relationships, the artist committed suicide at the age of 37.
Vincent produced his self-portraits because he wanted to practise painting people. The majority of them – over 25 – were done while he was in Paris (1886–88). He was short of money in that period and struggled to find models. So the artist chose the simplest solution and painted himself.
“I dream my painting and I paint my dream”
This quote captures the essence of his approach to art. For Van Gogh, the painting was not just about creating a visual representation of something but rather about expressing the emotions and impressions that he experienced in his dreams and imagination.
The Starry Night painting has been highly esteemed for decades and its value has reached $100 million, following its $50 million sale in 1990. Many investors are attracted to his artwork for its financial value.
The Sunflowers is one of the most popular paintings in the National Gallery. It is the painting that is most often reproduced on cards, posters, mugs, tea-towels and stationery. It was also the picture that Van Gogh was most proud of.
Starry Night 1889
Starry Night is one of the most recognized paintings in the world. It has been reproduced onto placemats, cards, posters calendars, jigsaw puzzles etc. In short, EVERYTHING and ANYTHING. Van Gogh painted this iconic painting when he was at the mental asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
'Van Gogh's use of yellow is considered to derive from the sun, and appears to be related to an ambivalence to his father, as expressed in sun worship, while the complementary colours red and green were correlated with his bisexuality and castration anxiety.
Although Vincent fell in love several times, he only ever lived with one woman. Sien Hoornik, whom he met in The Hague, was working as a prostitute when Van Gogh approached her to model for his drawings.
This one's easy: no, Vincent didn't have any children.
He suffered from illnesses and depression. He often had little to eat and as a result of poor finances didn't take care of his health. Many family members considered him a failure. He never found lasting romantic love.
Gerhard Richter is at the very top of our list—the most famous living painter today. Born in 1932 in Dresden, Germany, Richter currently lives and works in Cologne, Germany.
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
Leonardo da Vinci is probably the most important Renaissance artist. Da Vinci is widely recognized as the most famous and influential artist of all time.
Known as the ultimate embodiment of the notion of the “poor artist”, Van Gogh was largely unable to sell his work during his lifetime. The letters between the artist and his brother Theo van Gogh tell of an eternal lack of money, and the difficulties this created when it came to practising his art.
Vincent's paintings now came under the care of Theo's widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger.
Missing Van Gogh Artwork
Van Gogh was one of the most prolific artists of the 19th century creating over 2,000 works in the span of about ten years. Although there are over 2,000 known Van Goghs, today 85 of these works are recorded as missing or in unknown locations.
The sunflower paintings had a special significance for Van Gogh: they communicated 'gratitude', he wrote. He hung the first two in the room of his friend, the painter Paul Gauguin, who came to live with him for a while in the Yellow House.